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Minn. Corn Harvest Down Only 3 Percent From 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — New estimates show the cold, wet spring and a summer drought failed to put a big dent in Minnesota’s corn harvest.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects Minnesota’s corn production this year at 1.33 billion bushels. That’s down just 3 percent from last year’s record harvest. The state’s projected yield is 164 bushels per acre, down one bushel from 2012.

Minnesota’s soybean harvest is projected at 259 million bushels, unchanged from September’s forecast but down 15 percent from last year, partly because farmers planted fewer soybeans this year. Minnesota’s soybean yield is forecast at 39 bushels per acre, which is 4.5 bushels below last year’s yield.

Friday’s corn and soybean forecasts are down somewhat from the USDA’s September forecasts. The October forecasts were canceled due to the federal government shutdown.